


The Making of a Team

by Jonjo



Category: Justified
Genre: Gen, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-01
Updated: 2013-01-31
Packaged: 2017-11-27 17:58:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/664836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jonjo/pseuds/Jonjo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Winona decides not to return to see Raylan in hospital, the Marshals pick up the pieces.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for afiakate in the You'll Never Leave Harlan fic exchange
> 
> Story occurs after the end of season 2 and right at the beginning of season 3
> 
> Thank you so much to my beta fangirl29 for all her help and brilliant suggestions and also to my partner Mike for last minute proof reading. Sorry to my recipient for including a little bit of Winona, hope you don’t mind too much.

Chapter 1

The news of Winona’s decision is relayed to Art at the hospital; he shrugs and shakes his head.  
Rachel asks.  
Art says, “She won’t come to him”.  
Rachel closes her eyes and breathes out, resignation on her face. Opening her eyes, she smiles a brief little smile at Art and walks down to Raylan’s room. 

The nurse is just leaving and raises a suspicious eyebrow at her; she flashes her badge and walks straight in not waiting for acknowledgement. Raylan’s awake, but his eyes are closed. Hearing her steps, he asks, “Winona?”  
“No Raylan”, Rachel says quietly, “she’s not coming today”.  
He opens his eyes, nods and closes them again in quiet resignation. She pulls a chair up to his bedside and sits, closes her eyes and settles in for the long wait.

Tim joins Art in the corridor. “Better get this mess cleared up I guess. Need a ride?” Art looks back towards Raylan’s door then follows Tim out.  
Sitting in the passenger seat, he turns to Tim, “You alright?”  
“Yeah, just part of the job.” Tim dismisses Art’s concern.  
“Mmm, maybe”.  
The silence that had settled is broken by Art, “Why’d she even hook up with him again if she was going to walk out anyways – it’s not as if she don’t know what he’s like”.

Rachel must have nodded off for a few minutes and wakes to find Raylan watching her. “How you feeling?” she asks.  
“Not great but I’m alive, Loretta ok?”  
“Yeah, she’ll be ok. Does Harlan give all its children such an easy start in life?”  
The sarcasm was rhetorical, but Raylan finds himself nodding, thinking of Boyd and himself, Mags and her boys and how Doyle’s sons will cope now with their daddy gone. With these thoughts between them, they stay in companionable silence for some time until there’s a knock at the door. Deputy Gutterson puts his head around the door and seeing them both awake walks in. “Come to relieve you for a few hours Rachel,” and without letting her argue, he continues “bring us some coffee in the morning”.  
She smiles at Raylan and Tim and leaves. It was her plan to stay with him all night but a newer plan of showering off Harlan’s dust and slipping between clean sheets in her soft bed becomes more attractive by the second. 

Tim gives Raylan a considered look, “You know she was going to leave like that?”  
Raylan raises an eyebrow then realises they’re talking about Winona. “She threatened as much. Never meant to get back with her anyways, I guess she’s got the right to make her choice”.  
He turns from Tim, “You think you can find me some more water from somewhere?” As Tim leaves, Raylan wipes his face somewhat surprised at his tears, not sure if they’re due to Winona’s absence or the trouble Harlan keeps bringing his way. 

When Tim returns, he takes a long drink of water, wishes it was whiskey and waits for the Marshal to settle. “Thanks” he says, “...for keeping me alive”.  
Tim shrugs “Have to prove my skills every now and again, make sure they keep me around”.  
“Well I’m sure glad you’re around” and Raylan smiles at Tim, not wide but all the way to his eyes. 

They go quiet again, but Raylan’s still thinking of Harlan; of the events that lead up to the shooting. “I took Dickie out to the woods” he confesses.  
Tim looks up at him, worried, “He’s in custody.”  
Raylan continues ignoring the interruption, “I was going to kill him.”  
“For what? Stringing you up?” Answering Raylan’s confusion, “Boyd told us.”  
“Nah, for killing my Aunt Helen”.  
“Why didn’t you?”  
“Helen wouldn’t have wanted it.” He pauses and looks up at Tim, “You know she maintained a truce between the Bennetts and us? Mags and her held it together for well over twenty years”.  
“I was wondering what kept y’all alive this long – you’re sure keen on shooting each other”.  
Raylan laughs dryly – “Your country as wild as this? I seem to remember you joined the army pretty young.”  
“No, well, not that I knew. It was my daddy that caused me to leave. Don’t seem like Arlo was much fun either.”  
“You’re right there; I’d probably not be around if it wasn’t for Helen.”  
“Wish I’d a had a Helen,” Tim says wistfully.  
“She still moved in with him though, after my momma died. Never did understand that.”  
Another tear slips from Raylan’s eye and Tim grips his hand. 

They stay like that, silence returning, until Rachel shows up the next morning with coffee and waffles. 

They all sit round his bed, chatting and eating breakfast. Rachel laughs that the ADA had turned up and seemed mightily disappointed that Raylan hadn’t shot anyone. It was friendly and light hearted and felt like they were turning a corner towards becoming a closer team. But then Art calls up and tells Tim he needs to come in and finish his reports and Rachel agrees she’ll wait for the doctor to release Raylan and take him home.

She isn’t impressed as she pushes open the door to Raylan’s motel room – it’s musty and untidy and stupidly small she thinks. “You can’t stay here Raylan, you’ll catch something, I got a spare room. You’re gonna come home with me”. He thinks to argue but the pain is returning and the effort seems too much.

Rachael gets Raylan settled at her place and then rings Art. “He’s at mine”, she states matter-of-factly and Rachael can see Art’s eyebrow rise on the other end of the phone. “That motel’s a pit” she says by way of explanation.  
“Mmm”, he mutters, “I’ll need to get a statement from him”.  
“He’s asleep now, come by later and I’ll make you both lunch”.  
“You not working today then?” he asks.  
“Of course, I’ll be back after lunch; it’s not as if I don’t have time owing”.  
“Ok, ok”, he agrees, “I’ll see you ‘bout one.”

After they finish eating, Rachael moves the plates to the kitchen and heads to the office, leaving Raylan and Art to do their paperwork.  
Art opens the proceedings, “You’re a fool, you know”.  
“I know”  
“You should be dead.”  
“I know”.  
“Tim saved you’re life, you know. Don’t think anyone else could’ve made that shot. Have you said anything to him?”  
“Yes”, Raylan shifts trying to get comfortable. “We gonna get this done then?” he asks hoping to keep Art from ranting.  
“God, Raylan, why will you never let others in! You’ve got to start working as a team, you know. You’re gonna be the death of me!”  
“Art, Art, I will, now can we get on with this. I want to get this done.”  
“Alright Raylan, where’d we start?”  
“Loretta.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Raylan wanders through Rachel’s place, and returns to the kitchen. He clears away the dishes from lunch. He’s bored, seriously bored. His wound still hurts but it is healing and the pain’s bearable. He’s tidied up as best he can for Rachel and short of watching more daytime TV, (the thought of which makes him shudder), he can’t think of anything else to do. Maybe he should get a hobby; he thinks, then dismisses the idea and decides it’s time he went into the office.

It’s only been a week and a bit since he was shot and Art is not pleased to see him. “Raylan, what are you doing here?” He indicates his office, goes in and expects Raylan to follow. He notes how Raylan winces as he sits down, and it pleases him less. “Don’t tell me,” he starts, “you’re bored. Well suck it up, Raylan. I don’t want to see you in here again until the doctors say you’re fit”.  
“Come on, Art! You’ve got to give me something to do; even paperwork has got to be better than staring at the TV all damn day.”  
“No Raylan, I won’t! You’re going straight back to Rachel’s and get the rest you need. I was beginning to enjoy the peace that comes with you being gone, and you should know better than to spoil that for me.” 

Raylan raises himself carefully from the chair and heads out. He stops when he hears Art calling his name again and turns. “Did you drive here?” Art is leaning against his office door, unimpressed. “God, Raylan.” He huffs and then to the bullpen, “Someone take this idiot home. Please.”

Raylan stares out of the front window of the police car as he’s driven home. He should probably admit, at least to himself, that his excursion has exhausted him and the pain in his side is back in full force. But he won’t do that. He just concentrates on his breathing and hopes they arrive soon. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t notice the two guys in the grey sedan following them a few cars back. 

The sedan following them slows as Raylan gets out of the police car.  
“Which apartment he go into?” the driver asks.  
“I can’t see, Ernesto, slow down!”  
They pull in as the police car drives off and watch as Raylan unlocks the door.  
“Seven” cries the passenger, “Seven”.  
“Yeah ok, ok, Juan, stop yelling. We’ll come back when it’s dark.”

Back at Rachel’s, Raylan takes his meds and lies down on the sofa, turning on the TV, more out of habit that anything else and dozes off. 

Rachel’s day has not been good, but she thinks it’s been worth clearing up the paperwork rather than leaving it for tomorrow. “Why ruin another day?” she thinks to herself. It’s late and she’s tired. As she pulls up to her apartment, she’s starting to relax, so it takes a moment for her to realise there’s a man standing in front of her door. She stops and watches him get it open and slip inside. “Shit”, she thinks, and goes for her phone. “Tim, get to my place now! Someone’s just broken in.”  
“Shit, Rachel! A report’s just come in that the Miami thugs are back in Kentucky. Wait for me; I’m already on my way.”  
“No, I’m going in, Raylan’s inside and it looks like there’s only one of them.” Not bothering to argue the point she ends the call, draws her gun and moves towards her front door.

Ernesto watches her from the parked car. He waits for her to disappear behind her front door and follows. He’s at the foot of the stairs up to her apartment when he hears her shout to Juan. “Federal Officer! Put the gun down! Raise your arms and step away.” Ernesto moves quickly up the stairs behind Rachel. He aims the butt of his gun at her head and brings her down, but she’s not out and she returns the favour by landing a punch square into his nose. 

Raylan sees this through the living room door and takes the opportunity of the distraction to launch at Juan from the sofa. He brings him down hard, but the pain searing through his side is too much. Raylan’s vision fades and he passes out. Having freed himself from Raylan’s now unconscious body, Juan is just in time to stop Rachel’s renewed attack on Ernesto. Juan grabs her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. Together they tie her to the banister railings with her hands behind her back and gag her to stop from her shouting. 

Tim pulls up to Rachel’s and races from his car, weapon already drawn. From the foot of the stairs to Rachel’s apartment, he sees first, one of the guys from Miami and then Rachel tied up. Tim shouts his warning and Ernesto brings his gun to aim in the direction of the shout, Tim fires. He falls dead just as the light and sound of police reinforcements erupts in the street outside. Juan moves to the window, quietly cursing what he sees and ducks behind the sofa. Not seeing him, Tim flies to Rachel’s side to get her untied. He only just frees her hands before Juan gets off a shot. Tim stumbles forward and braces himself against the banister. Unnoticed behind Tim, Rachel reaches for Ernesto’s discarded gun. She shoots at Juan, just as he’s pointing his gun at Raylan’s head. There’s a thump as Juan’s dead body hits the floor. 

Everything inside goes quiet, until Art shouts up the stairs “Y’all alright up there?”, somewhat hopefully Rachel thinks.

Rachel struggles out of her gag and calls to Art to come up. He takes a look at the scene from the top of the stairs and breaths out. “What the fuck? Did you get them both?” Rachel confirms it.  
“You alright?” She nods, “and Raylan?” he asks.  
“Passed out, I think he’s probably re-opened his wound” she replies tersely as she runs her hands down Raylan’s body, checking for other injuries.  
Already exasperated, Art turns to Tim who is sat with his back to the banister breathing heavily, “Not you as well?”  
“Just a scratch” he replies. But, Tim thinks, it’s a pretty big, deep scratch and it stings like hell. He hears the ambulance arrive and stays where he is.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rachel and Tim, sit at the kitchen table in the safehouse. The WITSEC guys had said they could use it for a few days while Raylan and Tim recover and Rachel finds herself a new place to live. On the table there’s a bottle of Jack, and three glasses. Tim has poured himself and Rachel a measure each.  
Rachel’s phone rings, “Rachel Brooks”. “Art...yes...no...no...yes, good...no...yes, chicken... 20 minutes...good.”  
“Ok let me guess” says Tim, “Art called; yes we’re ok; no, Raylan’s not back; no, we haven’t heard; yes, good, Art will find out; no, we haven’t eaten; yes chicken; Art will see us in 20 with food and news.” Tim laughs “How’d I do?”  
“Pretty much sums it up”, nods Rachel, “D’ya think Raylan’s ok?”  
“Yeah,” Tim reassures her, “if it was bad news we’d have heard”.

They hear a car pull up outside, and then the bell rings. “I’ll get it”, says Tim, pulling his gun. He returns a minute later with Raylan in tow.  
“I bought whiskey”, Raylan smiles, holding up the bottle to prove it.  
“Us too”, laughs Rachel and pours a shot into the empty glass on the table.  
“Better get one out for Art, or he’ll sulk when he gets here”, says Tim opening one of the cupboards.  
“Art’s coming?” asks Raylan.  
“Yeah, he’s bringing food. What they say about you at the hospital?” asks Tim.  
“Mostly that I was a fool and a pretty darn lucky one at that”, he smiles slightly sheepishly. “They stitched me up and told me not to do it again.” 

They all sit and drink in silence for a while, then Raylan says “You know Art’s gonna give us shit don’t you?”  
“Yep”, Rachel and Tim both reply.  
Tim smirks slightly, “Bets on the length of time he rants for?”  
“Yeah”, Raylan laughs “I’ll give you five bucks on five minutes.”  
“I’ll go four” says Rachel.  
“Ok” agrees Tim, “nearest to it wins and I’ll go three and a half. Anyone got a watch?”  
Rachel giggles and takes out her phone, setting up the timer function.

When Art arrives, the rain has started pouring; he comes in wet and unhappy looking.  
“Welcome home”, Raylan offers.  
“Yes, well, I guess so”, he replies.  
Tim rises to take the food from Art, “I got this” says Rachel, taking it from him and Art settles at the table and pours himself a drink. 

After downing his first, Art refills his glass, stands up again and starts, “God Raylan you’re a genuine cause for sorrow, you know that. You could all have been killed. How’d they find you? They must have followed you home. How’d you not see them?” He continues on the theme. Settling into his stride, he covers numerous topics; training (or apparent lack thereof); security (and total lack thereof); team work; two dead; what’ll Miami send next (an army?); the safe house and the expense involved (not to mention the paperwork). 

Raylan barely listens, sipping his whiskey, he salves his conscience – it’s not as though he’s not heard it all before. But then Art starts getting personal and Raylan bristles slightly.  
“I’ve got two of you out of action now. At the same time. Talk about selfish. I expected better from you Rachel, thought you had more sense. And you Tim, don’t you start thinking you have to match Raylan’s body count for God’s sake. I see enough of Assistant U.S. Attorney David Vasquez because of Raylan. I don’t need you under investigation too, or are y’all just hell bent on seeing me to an early grave!” 

They all could have chipped in with explanations, expressions of unfairness and defended themselves but there’s a bet on and they all know Art will run out of steam quicker if they stay quiet. And despite the bet there’s chicken waiting which their stomachs tell them is getting real important.

Tim wins. Raylan and Rachel slap five dollar bills on the table in front of him.  
“What?” Art looks at each of them in turn. “What?”  
“Three minutes forty two”, Rachel informs him, straight faced, though a little disappointed.  
“Remarkably short” adds Raylan.  
Art opens his mouth to start again, but Rachel puts his food down in front of him. “Don’t let it get cold”, she orders and Art huffs and starts eating.

When Art gets up to leave, he takes a bag from his coat pocket and throws it on the sofa. “Should keep you out of trouble for a while” he huffs.  
“And don’t drink too much Raylan, I’ll be back with plenty of paperwork in the morning especially for you, seeing as you asked so nice earlier.” He smiles to himself as he closes the front door.

After he’s gone they move to the living room, taking the bottles with them. Rachel picks up the bag Art had left.  
“What is it?” Tim asks.  
“A DVD,” Rachel replies “but there’s no label on it”.  
“May as well watch it whatever” suggests Tim, taking it from her and putting it in the machine.  
Raylan and Rachel settle into the sofa, looking up she sees Tim hovering. Patting the cushion next to her she says “Come on Tim, there’s plenty of room. Besides,” she laughs “I’ll feel safer with my two brave boys next to me.”  
She just about manages to jump out of the way as they both go to hit her.  
Raylan commandeers the remote and starts the DVD. After the usual piracy warnings the title appears on the screen.  
GET SHORTY  
Tim scowls “Trust Art. Pretty sure I’ve had enough of Miami drug cartels for one day.”  
Raylan switches off the TV amid general agreement. He picks up one of the bottles, smiling, “Guess we’ll all just have to get drunk instead then”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> **Prompt** : Art lays down the law in the office  
> Case fics (they're hunting fugitives, providing protection, doing marshal stuff, etc), interpersonal drama, romance. Het and all ratings.  
> Rachel, Tim, Art (in no particular order); in addition I love Raylan, Arlo, Loretta, and Dewey.  
> 


End file.
